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In News Junkie, the cutthroat worlds of journalism, politics, and high finance are laid bare by Jason Leopold, whose addictive tendencies led him from a life of drug abuse and petty crime to become an award-winning investigative journalist who exposed some of the biggest corporate and political scandals in recent American history.

Leopold broke key stories about the California energy crisis and Enron Corporation's infamous phony trading floor as a reporter for the Dow Jones Newswires. While he exposed high-rolling hucksters and double-dealing politicians, Leopold hid the secrets of his own felonious past, terrified that he would be discovered.

When the news junkie closed in on his biggest story—one that implicated a Bush administration member—he found himself pilloried by angry colleagues and the president’s press secretary, all attempting to destroy his career.

Jason Leopold introduces us to an unforgettable array of characters, from weepy editors and love-starved politicos to steroid-pumped mobsters who intimidate the author into selling drugs and stolen goods.

In the end, News Junkie shows how a man once fueled by raging fear and self-hatred transforms his life, regenerated by love, sobriety and a new, harmonious career with the independent media.

Jason Leopold is a former Los Angeles bureau chief of Dow Jones Newswires. He has worked for the Los Angeles Times and has been a frequent guest on CNBC; his articles have appeared in The Nation, The Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Times. Leopold is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post, and currently writes for CounterPunch, Political Affairs, and Z Magazine.

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Review

"Jason Leopold moved to Los Angeles to marry his girlfriend, and kicked a cocaine addiction. But for the investigative reporter and author of News Junkie, sobriety wasn't the simple fix expected ... [An] amazing life story." -NPR

"I love this book. When other U.S. reporters were licking Ken Lay's loafers, Leopold went for Enron's thieving throat. Leopold is a journalist who insists on real investigative reportinginside documents, inside sources, hard knife-in-the-gut evidencedetective-style reporting that is just about illegal in the U.S.A. Bravo and my personal Pulitzer to Jason Leopold. Every journalist in America should read this, then quit or riot." Greg Palast, author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy

"Investigative superstar Jason Leopold spares no one, least of all himself, in this devastatingly accurate first-hand exposé. News Junkie provides the best account so far of how, and why, current American journalism has become so pharisaical, spineless, and detached from the truth." T. D. Allman, journalist and author of Rogue State, Unmanifest Destiny, and Finding Florida

"Having told the truth for years as a first-rate reporter, Jason Leopold now comes completely clean about himself and also sheds light on his imperiled profession. A riveting account of just how hard the truth can be." Mark Crispin Miller, author of Cruel and Unusual: Bush/Cheney's New World Order

"Frighteningly honest. What Anthony Bourdain did to the world of cooking in Kitchen Confidential, Leopold will do to the world of journalism. It's Sid & Nancy meets All the President's Men." Rob Cohen, coauthor of Etiquette for Outlaws

"This memoir is one of the most brutally honest books I've ever read. You will grow to believe, and cheer on, this flawed hero as he gains a liberating knowledge of himself." Joe Loya, author of The Man Who Outgrew His Prison Cell: Confessions of a Bank Robber

I usually don't like this type of book, but after thumbing through the first few pages, I decided to get it. I like the style of writing; like the author is talking directly to me. I could feel the love he has for his wife, which was heartwarming, and yet his struggles were so sad. I'm not explaining myself well, but as I was reading the reviews, I became a bit irate with the reviewer below and thought I'd chime in (being that I *have* reviewed things on Amazon before). I just thought it was an all around good book and will be suggesting it to my friends.

There is nothing like "News Junkie" out there because there is nobody quite as talented, self-destructive, addiction-oriented and manipulative as Jason was -- before he found love, sobriety and a better way to get at the truth in government, whether it's hidden inside the California energy crisis, where Enron defrauded us all, or Guantanamo Bay, where we house both terrorists and innocents. I'd barely heard of Jason before, except for bits about his infamous experiences at various newspapers that fired him for all sorts of ethical and temper issues. If he weren't a real life survivor of himself, Jason might've been a side character in "Less Than Zero," he was that internally torqued from a bad childhood. At points in this book, you want to club Jason for succumbing to his demons and other times you are rooting for him to not only bust corrupt politicians but square himself so his talent didn't end up in a cemetery before it's time. If not a B.E. Ellis creation, Jason shared more than a little with real-life Charles Bukowski. What a trip it is to see him kicking butt today in alternative journalism, which is lucky to have him, when the trail of affliction and self doubt behind his swagger ran the length of a marathon. If nothing else, Jason Leopold is tough and stable enough today to pull up the floorboards on his unseemly past as a reporter who found the darkest corners in himself. Can't recommend this book enough. You did it, Jason!

This is a scary book. Jason Leopold was not a nice guy. He was a creep who would screw over anyone for drugs first, then news "scoops" later.

This is a story of a guy whose misdirected intelligence and passion totally screw him up for a number of years. Finally, he starts to get on a path where he's doing some good, but he's still stuck with some very nasty habits that get him in trouble and keep him sabotaging himself, in spite of becoming a serial award winning reporter.

As a writer I found Jason's book very inspiring. Not the nasty stuff-- but Jason describes the creative and energetic ways he went after stories. I've written for national magazines, with my own share of cover stories, and I've done some investigative leg and phone work. But Jason's descriptions of his efforts have already inspired me to go the extra distance to dig further into articles. The first article I applied this to rose to the top five articles of the month on my website, where we've published at least 400 articles so far this month.

Jason writes about how he was tough on his reporters, as an editor. insisting that they go out on the street, covering their beat, not waiting for news to come to them. That's inspired me to take a similar approach in my own writing.

If you're a reporter, this book is different than any I've seen. It's wild and wooly and while a bit apologetic, brutally honest.

Recently, post the writing of this book, Jason reported that Karl Rove was about to be indicted by Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor investigating the Plame CIA case. It didn't happen. Rove was never indicted. Now you could just write Jason off as an incompetent. But you could also wonder whether Rove got to Fitzgerald, or, that someone fed Jason bad info that was designed to set him up, because he was getting too close to the truth. I don't know what the answer is. Frankly, having published his report, I was embarassed by the article being wrong. When I got the word, I headlined the article. It didn't feel very good. But maybe that's what was supposed to happen-- what was intended by the people who set him up. I'm not apologizing for him. But I'm keeping my mind open to the possibility that the people who brought us the threat of WMDs in Iraq, who pulled one over on Colin Powell, the majority of the senate and most of the US could have also pulled one over on this news junkie.

I see Jason as a man who can make a difference. I'm glad he's working for the progressive cause now. The right wing fights very, very dirty. They lie, cheat, and since they run the mainstream media, they propagandize, cover up and gloss over news that should be covered that isn't.

We need more Jason Leopolds who are willing to do what it takes to dig up the truth. And we should expect that when he uses his enormous cojones to take on incredibly powerful, influential and wealthy players, he will occasionally be set up,occasionally stabbed in the back by editors, occasionally made to look bad, so his good work is questioned.

Bottom line, this gritty autobiography tells a tale of a man who becomes a drug addicted, dealing, thieving criminal who quits abusing, cleans up his act and really achieves some significant successes in his life, not leaving all his flaws behind, but steadily making progress.

It's a great read.

About the inspiring part-- one must be selective about what one is inspired by. I chose to be inspired by his creative, energetic approach to digging up stories. [...].

I find it interesting and extremely unusual that there are, at the writing of this review, a dozen reviews, most of the positive. All the positive, four or five star reviews have been rated as unhelpful by two to one. My guess is that some of the right wingers who have been attacking the author in the blogoverse have decided to "tar" the positive reviews. I expect the same will happen to this one. The fact is, I doubt that these review commenters have read the book, or care to. It is dishonest to take this approach.

"News Junkie" isn't just a memoir about addiction, though it captures that experience masterfully and compassionately. It examines, through the author's harrowing personal story, the line between passion and obsession, drive and compulsion. Any reader who has ever become attached to something to the point of obsession (that is, probably, every reader) will identify, regardless of whether they know what cocaine feels like. "News Junkie" is also a book about secrets, and Jason Leopold delivers those secrets--even his most carefully guarded ones--with astonishingly candid grace.

This book is a page-turner in the most accomplished sense. There are no cheap tricks or manufactured plot twists here; the suspense is generated by Leopold's empathy and honesty, his ability to bring readers straight into the heart of his story. This is a magnificent book.

I bought this book having never heard of Jason Leopold prior to opening it. This was one of the best book purchases I have made. News Junkie is exactly what the name implies.

Jason Leopold is the quintessential "junkie." Whether it is cocaine or breaking a story he has to have his fix. In his book he discusses in detail the darkest moments of his life and career. From petty theft as a child to grand-theft as an adult. From battling his cocaine addiction to being blacklisted by the journalist community. Jason provides us with a looking glass into the world he has created for himself.

I highly recommend this book for everyone. Addicts, Journalists, and college kids alike. I promise two things with this purchase. You will learn from his experiences and you won't be able to put it down.